A bolygó hollandi
Richard Wagner
THE PLANET DUTCH
Opera in three acts, in German, with Hungarian, English and German subtitles
Schedule
"Wherever you open the score, the wind blows in your eyes", was how an older colleague of Richard Wagner described The Planet Dutchman, and the phrase, intended as a criticism, actually points to one of the greatest virtues of the Romantic opera, premiered in 1843: the sensual presence of the untamable forces of nature, the storm and the sea, which give the work its unique character. The cursed Dutchman, who is allowed to step ashore only once every seven years, is the first of Wagner's heroes to yearn for the miracle of redemption through love. The encounter between a woman's ultimate self-sacrifice and a man bearing the enormous burden of her fate breaks the mould of German Romantic opera.
SOURCES
Composer: Richard Wagner
Lyrics by Richard Wagner
Director: János Szikora
Set designer: Éva Szendrényi
Costume designer: Krisztina Berzsenyi
Hungarian subtitles by Judit Kenesey
English subtitles by Arthur Roger Crane
Choir Director: Gábor Csiki
Hungarian State Opera
The Hungarian State Opera House is the only theatre in Hungary with a large company, specialising in operas and ballets. The building is one of Budapest's most important 19th century monuments. It was built in neo-Renaissance style according to the plans of Miklós Ybl. The richly decorated interior was designed by renowned Hungarian artists, including Mór Than, Károly Lotz and Bertalan Székely.